#EE undergrads interested in #CPU and #compiler designs may wish to explore the following:
• Pick a classic 8-bit CPU architecture, 8008, 8080, Z80, 6800, or 6502, and learn the instruction set architecture and the assembly language for that CPU
• Implement, exclusively in C, a minimally-functional assembler for that instruction set
• Adapt the assembler to use Lex and Yacc, in order to gain familiarity with these language tools
• Implement a compiler frontend for a barely-Turing-complete high-level language, maybe supporting only if, goto, and call/return, and implement the backend that targets the chosen instruction set
• Add a strong, static type checker, along the lines of Pascal
• Expand the language by switching to language workbenches, like Spoofax, Xtext, or MPS
• Implement a simplified version of the chosen CPU architecture in Verilog or VHDL, perhaps even digging down to a cycle-accurate version
An average student can get through the first two steps in the first two years of college, perhaps even in the first two semesters.
amen zwa, esq.
npub1pj…fay94
2026-01-02 19:37:23 UTC
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2026-01-02 19:37:23 UTCEvent JSON
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"content": "#EE undergrads interested in #CPU and #compiler designs may wish to explore the following:\n\n• Pick a classic 8-bit CPU architecture, 8008, 8080, Z80, 6800, or 6502, and learn the instruction set architecture and the assembly language for that CPU\n• Implement, exclusively in C, a minimally-functional assembler for that instruction set\n• Adapt the assembler to use Lex and Yacc, in order to gain familiarity with these language tools\n• Implement a compiler frontend for a barely-Turing-complete high-level language, maybe supporting only if, goto, and call/return, and implement the backend that targets the chosen instruction set\n• Add a strong, static type checker, along the lines of Pascal\n• Expand the language by switching to language workbenches, like Spoofax, Xtext, or MPS\n• Implement a simplified version of the chosen CPU architecture in Verilog or VHDL, perhaps even digging down to a cycle-accurate version\n\nAn average student can get through the first two steps in the first two years of college, perhaps even in the first two semesters.",
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